We are very lucky in Derby to have a wide range of religions and beliefs in our local community and this is reflected in the Religious Education syllabus for local schools and organisations. Please see the links below for the latest Agreed Syllabuses;

As well as our Faith Trails relating to the Agreed Syllabuses, they also support in ‘Promoting British Values as a part of SMSC provisions’ in schools. From our discussions with different schools, this is something that Ofsted are often looking for and will often ask, how the school is supporting this initiative.

Religion and belief are controversial subjects and our visits are designed to help visiting groups to understand the beliefs of others. We are about breaking down barriers and encouraging tolerance and understanding. The Open Centre’s motto is ‘Promoting understanding through personal experience’ – and there is no better way to do this than to encourage visits to the different places of worship in our community.

Places of Worship

Our Faith Trails usually start at the Open Centre and can include:

Mosque – Muslim place of worship

Mandir – Hindu place of worship

Gurdwara – Sikh place of worship

Synagogue – Jewish place of worship (Nottingham)

Church (Baptist church)

Each Place of Worship is a short walk away from the Open Centre. Each talk/visit usually lasts about 45 minutes, with plenty of opportunities to explore and ask questions on a range of topics. Most of these visits take place in the morning so we do not disrupt prayer schedules at the Places of Worship. If you would like an afternoon visit, please contact us to discuss the possibilities (Church and Sikh Gurdwara). All visits are led by Open Centre staff, who are DBS checked and trained, many of whom are also from a particular faith community. However as our services are often in high demand, we cannot always guarantee a person from a particular faith community for each specific Places of Worship but we do have a range of staff members, who are experienced and knowledgeable enough to lead visits to a variety of Places of Worship. See our staff page for more details.

Our recommended group sizes for visits to Places of Worship are between 25-45 children. We can cater for smaller groups (for example, Special Schools) or for larger groups up to 60 children. However this is dependent on the age of the children and would be discussed in detail, when booking. Working with groups of this size is recommended for two main reasons, one being health and safety and the other is to ensure a quality, differentiated talk where all pupils have the opportunity to take part.

However we do not take part in any acts of worship during our visits.

At many Places of Workship, especially the Sikh Gurdwara, the children will have the opportunity to try their traditional food for free. Please let our staff know if you have any children with any specific food allergies so we can advise you accordingly.

Please see the video below, for an example of what a Faith Trail might look like;

Additional Resources

We also have a variety of carefully differentiated Activity Sheets based on our Faith Trails, that can help extend the children’s learning back in the classroom. These are currently only available as part of a Faith Trail visit and prices start from as little as £2.50. All activity sheets are related to the New Agreed Syllabuses and are factually accurate for each religion (Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism).

We also have a close partnership with Derby Cathedral and many of our visits can be combined with visits to the Cathedral as they can take place in the afternoon.

Derby Cathedral stands in the heart of a vibrant multi-faith city on the southern edge of one of England’s most beautiful counties.

Learning is brought vividly to life in this beautiful Georgian building, on the site where Christian worship has taken place for more than a thousand years. We believe visits by school, colleges and universities are an important aspect of the Cathedral’s work, enabling students to learn in a special setting, where history, art, music, spirituality and faith combine.

Supported by our Canon Missioner the team consists of a part time Education Officer (who is also a practising teacher) and a team of experienced volunteers, many of whom also have an education background.

We work to offer a friendly welcome to children of all ages and abilities and will adapt our work to suit their needs.

For more information about Cathedral visit options – please download their information here or see their website for more details.

If you would like to make a booking, please download their booking form hereand email it to education@derbycathedral.org.

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